


Wielding Water

by Sectanza



Series: Ray Expansion [1]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Original Character(s), Original Species, Raylings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 08:09:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13783347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sectanza/pseuds/Sectanza
Summary: During an unexpected mission to Inkblot Art Academy, Agent 4 is met with a surprise; a weird species of -ling that uses water instead of ink! One of these 'raylings,' as they're called, makes an offer to explain everything to Agent 4, and suddenly these raylings don't seem so weird.





	Wielding Water

**Author's Note:**

> I've been itching to make some fan stuff lately, and in my attempt to make something for Splatoon, I came up with raylings. This is just a short little thing I wrote for fun to explore the concept of them. Hopefully you like it--or at least like the concept! There's a picture of Monroe at the end too, if you end up wondering what they look like.

With the loud whistle of the kettle and a clunk of the grate, Agent 4 was off to Inkblot Art Academy. As soon as they landed, they could hear Marie’s voice through their headphones.  
“Mini Zapfish? Weird, I don’t see any Octolings around... Whatever. Keep your eyes peeled, Agent 4.”  
The inkling nodded and headed off. Inking up routes and grabbing the Mini Zapfish was easy at first, but after breaking the third tank and reaching for the little fish, all Agent 4 could hear before they were suddenly back at spawn was a splash.  
“Agent 4?! Oh, you’re okay!” Marie’s voice rings in their ears as she assesses the situation. “You have some new enemies on the field. I think they’re… Rays? Raylings, I guess. From what I can tell, those weird weapons they’ve got shoot water. Consider this a stealth mission now, Agent 4. Be careful.”  
Another nod from the agent and they’re off again, a bit more meticulously this time. Some of the more open routes they inked up got cut off by puddles of water, but aside from that, the raylings looked to be avoiding their ink like the plague. They started thinking up theories as they swam through the routes that were still in tact and started inking up new ones; theories that were proven true when they snuck up on a rayling and, with one quick press of the trigger on their Hero Shot, sent it packing. Knowing their weakness now, it was another easy job for Agent 4, who had 7 Mini Zapfish in no time; just one last beacon of light up the next ramp where enemy spawn would usually be, and they’d be back to Inkopolis for a Turf War.  
“If you wanted the Zapfish, you could have just asked, y’know.”  
Agent 4 spun on their heels and readied their Hero Shot as they heard the voice behind them. Another Rayling, but this one looked different, wearing a suit and sporting a different finstyle. They raised their hands in surrender, but still had a calm demeanor.  
“Calm down squid kid, I’m not here to hurt you. I just figured we could talk things out.” The rayling lowers their hands. “Maybe later, though; you’ve got a job to do right now, yeah? Take the Zapfish, we never wanted it in the first place. We’ll meet by the Crust Bucket later and I’ll explain--I’ve got some tickets, I’ll grab you something to apologize too while we’re there. Sound good?”  
Agent 4 wasn’t really sure what to think of the offer--or, more like command with that phrasing--at first; no way they would pass up on a free Super Seanwich, though. The inkling burst the tank, grabbed the Mini Zapfish, and super-jumped out.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------  
After a long awaited Turf War match, Agent 4 made their way to the Crust Bucket. They could see the rayling from earlier wave to them from one of the tables.  
“I got your Seanwich right here, squid kid,” they called. As Agent 4 sat down next to them, they pushed the promised food in front of the inkling, as well as a cup. “Consider the Main-Saver Lemon a bonus gift from me.”  
“You said you were going to explain?”  
“You like to skip straight to the details, huh? The name’s Monroe, thanks for asking. No need to tell me yours, whatever it is, I’d rather call you ‘squid kid.’”  
Agent 4 was a bit disgruntled at that, but decided not to say anything.  
“You ever heard of Salmonids, kid?”  
The first thing that came to the inkling’s mind was Grizzco Industries. “Yeah. They’re those weird fish things Mr. Grizz wants the eggs from, aren’t they?”  
“Right you are. We rays live in the water, and the ink from those Salmonids pollutes it to no end.”  
“Because you guys are weak to ink… I get it. You guys have been looking for cleaner water, then.”  
“You catch on fast, squid kid! Inkblot was just one place we looked. I think some of us ended up in Arowana Mall, too. Water’s still getting pretty ink-heavy thanks to all those Turf Wars, though.” Monroe shook her head a bit and folded her arms over the table. “Don’t get us wrong, kid. Those Zapfish were already in Inkblot by the time we got there; swarmed by octolings, too, but we sent them packing.”  
“Then you guys attacking me--”  
“--was in self defense as an attempt to preserve the water, yep,” Monroe nodded and leaned back.  
Agent 4 took a moment to let everything register (and to eat, of course). “So, why haven’t we ever seen raylings until now?”  
“We lived in the more remote places, like Lost Outpost, until the Salmonids reached them. They didn’t give us much choice except to move inland. We’ve been working on getting our confidence up and saying hi to you inklings, though.”  
“You guys shy?”  
“Less ‘shy’ and more ‘scared,’ squid kid. You guys wield our weakness.”  
Agent 4 just nodded and took a long drink of lemonade. If the Salmonids are what have been giving raylings trouble, maybe that job at Grizzco was worth taking after all.  
The two just sat in silence until Monroe stood up. “I ought to get going. Nice talking to you, squid kid. I’ll be sure to find some more tickets.”  
They were off before Agent 4 really got the chance to say anything, probably because the inkling was taking another drink of lemonade when Monroe got up and left.  
… Maybe the raylings would still be at Inkblot by the next time it was in the Turf War line-up.

[](https://imgur.com/5yd3XBx)


End file.
